NBA and NBPA representatives met "secretly" in N.Y.
yesterday, and it "appeared some progress had been made,"
according to Phil Jasner of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS.
Although league officials declined comment, "sources
confirmed" that NBA Commissioner David Stern and NBPA Exec
Dir Billy Hunter "attended the meeting." One source
"indicated additional discussions could be held during the
weekend" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/11). In N.Y., Mike
Wise cites sources who said that the meeting lasted "almost
five hours and included detailed discussions of specific
proposals that have prevented an agreement." One source:
"From what I've been hearing, they had more detailed talks
today then they've had in a long time." Wise: "There
appeared to be a tone of optimism after the negotiations,
enough so that parties on both sides were starting to
believe there might be a season after all." One meeting
participant "felt there was enough progress for the two
sides to reconvene Friday" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/11).
GO UNDERGROUND: In N.Y., Peter Vecsey writes that Stern
and Hunter "must take this stalled negotiation into their
own hands. ... The time has come to take two or three of
their most trusted allies and go underground" (N.Y. POST,
12/11). In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin wrote that Stern
"needs to eliminate the pettiness and partisanship from the
process, and if he doesn't want to change the rules by
involving a mediator, he should change the players --
namely, by excluding [MSG President Dave] Checketts from
discussions as a showing of good faith." Voisin: "The
league, as we know it, is in Stern's hands. Ultimately, so
is his legacy" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 12/9). Agent Don Cronson:
"Nobody is closer to Stern than Checketts, and his words
were revealing to me. It was a mindset of the owners and a
totally honest comment. Their strategy is to grind the
players down" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/10). In L.A.,
Mark Heisler quoted a "wide array" of sources who say that
"both sides despise each other. This dispute may be less
about numbers than it is about winning" (L.A. TIMES, 12/7).
